Conventionally, a method for etching a surface of a SiC substrate by heating the substrate that is stored in a storing container under a state where a high-purity Si vapor pressure is caused within the storing container has been conventionally known (Si vapor pressure etching). Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose this kind of prior art.
Patent Document 1 discloses a method for placing Si pellets (solid Si) in the storing container in order to cause Si vapor pressure within the storing container. Patent Document 2 discloses a method for adhering Si on an inner wall surface in the storing container in order to cause Si vapor pressure within the storing container.
Here, in the method of Patent Document 1, Si pressure distribution may be ununiform. In the method of Patent Document 2, Si that is adhered to an upper wall surface of the storing container, for example, may be melted and dropped onto the SiC substrate.
In view of the circumstances described above, Patent Document 3 proposes a method in which a storing container has a tantalum silicide layer that is provided on an internal space side of the storing container, and the tantalum silicide layer is a supply source of Si vapor.